HR Partner Spotlight: Meet Jeff Smith, Southern Ohio Market Leader, Employee Benefits at OneDigital

You know that quote from Spider-Man, “With great power comes great responsibility"? It's on our fridge at home, and it makes me think of Jeff Smith, Southern Ohio Market Leader of Employee Benefits at OneDigital. 

He’s got the brainpower (my kids call that using his “big brain”), the experience, and a good heart driving it all. Luckily for our HR Consultants and clients, he’s dedicating his “big brain” to the increasingly complex world of employee benefits planning. 

If you’re a leader who’s been working with employee benefits plans, you know that they’re no joke; they’re becoming more expensive, more confusing, and there’s a shift towards high-deductible plans. This makes it challenging for individuals to understand and utilize their benefits effectively. (KFF) And according to the OneDigital value perception survey, some 42% of employees don’t see their medical plans as competitive, and 40% don’t feel peace of mind about healthcare. 

That’s where Jeff comes in. With over 25 years of experience, from the pharmaceutical industry to benefits consulting, he brings a strategic, people-first approach that helps HR teams and decision-makers move from reactive fixes to long-term, cost-effective solutions. He knows benefits are your second-biggest cost, and your people are your most valuable asset. 

Putting employees' minds at ease so they can feel good about coming to work… well, that’s what we’re all here for.   

Interview With Jeff Smith: Leading with Knowledge & Driving Change in Employee Benefits 

What makes Jeff different? He listens.   

He knows that if you just pay attention to your clients and ask the right questions, you’ll get a clear picture of the roadmap they need without really needing to push. That’s about showing them you really know your stuff, and building a relationship. That trust will open the door to a deeper level of support, like when a prospective client asked, “Where else can you help?” and Jeff brought in a full cross-functional team, including one of our HR Consultants. 

When you’re facing rising costs, high-deductible plans, and frustrated employees, Jeff’s the kind of partner you want by your side — someone who helps you stop duct-taping gaps and start steering strategy.

A few things to know about Jeff: 

• He brings a strategic mindset: Jeff doesn’t sell plans; he delivers strategic roadmaps built to evolve with your business.  

• He uses innovation to bring calm in times of uncertainty. He embraces tools that disrupt the norms and encourages organizations to step away from the old status quo. This helps clients navigate unknowns in shifting regulations, rising costs, and ever-changing employee needs.  

• Jeff made the Top 40 for The Apprentice and spent 12 years as an in-stand announcer for the Cincinnati Cyclones. Yep — he can command a room and run the numbers.

• A moment where he felt he made a real impact with a client: When a prospective client asked, “Where else can you help?” That trust opened the door to a full-scale, cross-functional support team, including one of our HR Consultants. This reflects Jeff's motto: “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.”

• Jeff believes the future of benefits lies in asking more questions about people instead of just products. As he puts it, “Human capital is a dangerous thing — in a good way — if everyone rows in the same direction.”

  
  

Let us know if you'd like to connect with an HR Consultant who can help you with the people side of your organization. Jeff and the team are here to help you protect your people — and your bottom line.

Without further ado, here's the interview.

Can you tell us a bit about your career journey to this point?

I have spent my entire career in healthcare. From the pharmaceutical world all the way to consulting and brokerage. Many of the people I still interact with were either clients or partners throughout my career.

Can you walk us through how you help businesses and HR teams with health/medical benefits — and maybe share a bit more detail around your approach or process?

My approach is a simple one, but takes a lot of planning. The first step is to prove to that client that EB [employee benefits] and health are the #2 cost driver, and we as a team need to act accordingly. We are not brokers; we are financial consultants for a cost that is ever-changing and increasing year over year. How do we manage the ups and downs, and how do we insulate our clients from unknown events that could change overnight?

What core principles or values guide your approach?

My career has been built on strong relationships built around trust. We have to get comfortable together with being uncomfortable. You must be educated and an SME [subject matter expert] for many. They have other worries that keep them awake.

What is an example of a key challenge your clients often face?

The challenge of understanding the market, their employees, and the constant unknown year in and year out.

Can you share a moment where you felt you made a real impact for a client? What kinds of challenges or surprising insights often come up in those conversations?

Just recently felt this way when we were done meeting for the time, this prospective client asked me where else I could help because of trust. Within weeks, I had our 401K team in there as well as Colleen and her HRC [Human Resources Consultant] in there to show them that we are built for their needs. People don’t care what you know until they know that you care. If you take time to understand the entire universe of an organization, you become a business consultant for them and plug and play OD with ease.

People on the EB side in today’s environment have been trained by the market to simply accept the norm. If you challenge the system and norm, they begin to ask questions that showcase a partnership bond with them.

Do you have a specific product or service you’ve found to be successful for clients?

A 1–5-year strategic plan that is a working and living document.

What emerging trends do you think employers should be paying attention to right now when it comes to health/medical benefits?

The new executive orders as they pertain to Rx and transparency, the new products that are out there that allow employees to be consumers of healthcare for the first time. The numerous risk-sharing options and models that now exist. We are now getting handed tools that disrupt the norm and allow us to move away from the old status quo. How many people know about the gag order that was lifted 5 years ago regarding transparency at the pharmacy counter?

What is your vision for this company (or the industry) in the next few years? How do you see it evolving?

Those who can keep up with trends ahead of the market call will find the most success. I think the market will demand a more consumer-based method of buying health insurance in the future. I think we as a nation need to press the major players and start asking questions more about people vs. products. Those who do that will stay on top. Human capital is a dangerous thing in a good way if everyone rows in the same direction.

What’s your definition of success?

How high you can bounce when you hit rock bottom.

What’s a great piece of professional or leadership advice you’ve received in your career?

At the end of the day, people are trying their best to support their families or themselves. We need to allow our employees the ability to work as they see fit to find success. Allow them to drive the car, but let them know you can be the GPS for them if there is a roadblock or they feel lost.

What do you like to do in your downtime?

Coach baseball and football. Read a lot about current events and speak at many functions when asked.

Is there anything else you’d like to talk about here so that we can all get to know you and your work at another level?

Allow brokers to be brokers. We need to get away from the broker mentality. If we walk into a room and act like a true consultant, that energy will be passed to everyone in that room. Learning about someone’s business is the lost art. We must listen, because 90% of the time, if we do, they are giving us the roadmap to our success without even asking.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a baseball player who played every game at the old Riverfront Stadium.

What’s a fun fact about you that not many people know?

I finished in the final 40 on the TV show The Apprentice in the early 2000s. I was the in-stand announcer at US Bank Arena for 12 years for the Cyclones and arena football.

What do you enjoy most about your work and being part of the OneDigital team?

I like the culture OD continues to build. I do believe that this firm is 5-10 years ahead of the competition when it comes to technology and vision. We have answers that many firms may not have thought about yet.

Need Support With Employee Benefits? Let Us Help 

If you are a leader or HR Consultant who is rethinking (or overthinking) your approach to employee benefits — and want a smarter, more strategic way to protect your people and your bottom line — OneDigital has the resources to help. And we’ll start by introducing you to Jeff.

For an introduction to Jeff Smith, email Colleen (colleen.pfaller@onedigital.com) or reach out directly to Jeff (jeffrey.smith@onedigital.com). 

Our HR consultants are here to help you with recruiting and more – check out our services here, or contact us to get started!

Want HR tips delivered to your inbox every month? Sign up for the Slice Scoop!

OneDigital® is a registered trademark of Digital Insurance LLC ("OneDigital") and is the marketing name used by Digital Insurance LLC and its affiliates to market their products and services. Each company has financial responsibility for only its own products and services. Investment advisory services offered exclusively through OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC in the United States.